CVE-2022-3979 in NagVis
Summary
by MITRE • 11/14/2022
A vulnerability was found in NagVis up to 1.9.33 and classified as problematic. This issue affects the function checkAuthCookie of the file share/server/core/classes/CoreLogonMultisite.php. The manipulation of the argument hash leads to incorrect type conversion. The attack may be initiated remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation is known to be difficult. Upgrading to version 1.9.34 is able to address this issue. The identifier of the patch is 7574fd8a2903282c2e0d1feef5c4876763db21d5. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-213557 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3979 represents a critical authentication bypass flaw in NagVis versions up to 1.9.33, specifically within the checkAuthCookie function located in share/server/core/classes/CoreLogonMultisite.php. This issue stems from improper type conversion handling when processing the hash argument, creating a pathway for unauthorized access to the monitoring system. The vulnerability's classification as problematic indicates significant security implications that could compromise the integrity of network monitoring infrastructure. The attack vector is remote, meaning malicious actors can exploit this weakness without physical access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments where NagVis is deployed.
The technical flaw manifests through incorrect type conversion during authentication cookie validation, where the hash parameter fails to properly validate input types, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate authentication tokens. This type conversion vulnerability creates a condition where the system may interpret malicious input as legitimate authentication data, effectively bypassing the authentication mechanism. The high attack complexity and difficult exploitation requirements suggest that while the vulnerability exists, sophisticated techniques are necessary to successfully compromise the system, potentially involving multiple steps of input manipulation and protocol exploitation.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on NagVis for network monitoring and visualization. The authentication bypass could enable attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical infrastructure monitoring data, potentially leading to information disclosure, system compromise, or disruption of monitoring services. The impact extends beyond simple unauthorized access as it could allow attackers to manipulate monitoring configurations, view sensitive network topology information, or even execute commands within the monitoring environment. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations with distributed monitoring setups that utilize NagVis's multisite functionality, as the issue specifically targets the CoreLogonMultisite.php component.
The remediation strategy involves upgrading to NagVis version 1.9.34, which contains the patch identified by the commit hash 7574fd8a2903282c2e0d1feef5c4876763db21d5. This upgrade addresses the core type conversion issue in the authentication handling mechanism, thereby eliminating the attack vector. Security administrators should prioritize this patch deployment across all affected systems, particularly those with remote access capabilities or exposed monitoring interfaces. The vulnerability's assignment of identifier VDB-213557 provides tracking for security advisories and incident response activities. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring for suspicious authentication attempts and review their access controls to minimize potential impact from similar vulnerabilities in other components of their monitoring infrastructure.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-707, which addresses improper use of an API, and potentially relates to CWE-20, which covers improper input validation. The attack pattern follows elements of the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting authentication bypass methods. The complexity of exploitation suggests this may require advanced persistent threat actors with sufficient technical knowledge to craft appropriate malicious inputs that can manipulate the type conversion behavior. Organizations should conduct thorough security assessments of their NagVis deployments and consider implementing network segmentation to limit potential attack surface exposure, particularly for systems with remote monitoring capabilities that may be accessible from untrusted networks.